Black Kids’ (B.K.) Stories: Ta(l)king (About) Race Outside of the Classroom

Abstract

One approach to talking about race and racism in the classroom is to promote dialogic communication through open-ended dialogue and autoethnographic storytelling. In an effort to understand and consider how the lived experiences of race and racism are communicated and reflected on outside of the classroom, the author initiated a focus group with Black students from a race class to reflect about their experiences in the classroom. By following a pedagogical strategy of engaging students once classes are over, this article seeks to initiate and continue conversations about race and racism inside and outside of college classrooms.

Teaching Up: The Intersection of Impression Management and Controlling Images for Black, Cisgender, Women Faculty

“…In academia, the focus is often on perceived objectivity and impersonality. However, for these sociologists whose job it is to teach some of the most challenging and controversial subjects, the best teaching came when they stripped away the pretense of objectivity and shared their authentic selves and their stories as suggested by Boylorn (2010). In addition, these faculty can now expend their energy on teaching, research, or service—not on fitting themselves into a white male aesthetic.…”

“…Our study expands upon previous literature by Harris and Linder (2018) which discusses the need for marginalized students to have peers and mentors who are also from marginalized groups to help with career development. It further builds upon Boylorn's (2010) work about stripping away objectivity by illustrating that these techniques are part of the faculty, academic identity. For these faculty, sharing their experiences, being reflexive, and being culturally authentic in their dress and demeanor are purposeful andragogical approaches and teaching philosophies which color every aspect of their classroom presence.…”

Searching for Identity as Researcher and Scholar: Transformative Stories From an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership

“…The four students also served as "unique cases" (Rios, 2011) of identity formation as researchers as linked with their particular professional goals and roles as educational leaders in contexts ranging from early childhood to higher education. We co-conducted one set of ninetyminute interviews with the four doctoral graduates, and adapted elements of narrative-based, phenomenological interviewing (Seidman, 2013) and narrative-based conversations (Boylorn, 2011). We used open-ended prompts to encourage an exchange of memories and reflections on narrative-based elements in our program's course readings, assignments, and dissertation writing (see Appendix for interview prompts).…”

Toward Linguistically Responsive Leadership

“…The orientation of these new policies finally aligned with my own understanding of multilingualism, English, language development, and the value multilingual learners bring to society. Like many other critical scholars (e.g., Boylorn, 2011;Louis & Barton, 2002;Milner IV, 2007), personal and professional experiences of oppression, inequity, and ineffectiveness drive my research lens.…”